Time will tell in the case of the Queensland election, but at 9:00pm on election night, it looks highly likely that Queensland is headed to either a slim Labor governmental comeback, or as I fervently hope, a hung Parliament.

As a card-carrying member of the ALP, whilst I welcome the ouster of what was clearly a toxic, arrogant, ideologically driven conservative government, I have no doubts whatsoever that Labor has much to prove to an electorate which didn’t vote FOR them, it voted clearly & voluminously AGAINST what they saw as a government not working in their best interests.

I was witness to the preselection campaign in the State seat of Capalaba, the ultimate candidate has tonight become a member of the Parliament. However, what I observed in that contest proved to me categorically that Labor has learned absolutely nothing from the 2012 State whitewash, and the 2013 Federal debacle. The back-stabbing bitchfest I saw take place for Capalaba between the right and left factions was nothing less than bitterly disappointing. It was childish tribalism. Name calling in emails & SMS messages, baseless slur campaigns one against the other. Even worse, during the ALP leadership vote, well funded entreaties from the right faction attempting to convince members to vote for Booble Shonkie over Albo, when the leadership vote ought not be a contest between tribes, but the machine listening intently and without favour to the voices of the membership. That never occurred.

I won’t be renewing my membership, such is the annoyance, disappointment and dismay I view what I once called ‘my party’. Personal feelings aside, I welcome the political change, in whatever form it may take. Hopefully, we will wind up with a hung Parliament which will force genuine democracy upon the 2 major parties, through the auspices of 3 or more independents. We saw such a paradigm work in the 2010 Gillard Federal government, and it worked extraordinarily well. Sadly, the party machine failed itself, and it’s members resulting in the current conservative circus in charge, being run by the head clown.

ALP in government is never a smooth ride, just as conservativism in government inevitably weights it’s policy agendas away from the people toward corporate interests. Neither of our major political parties has a real policy plan for any time period beyond the next election. It is well past time that short-term view was changed and if that means turfing one term governments in order to simply

keep belting that message home, that REAL democracy involves considerations well & truly outside of the political cycle, and we, the people, cannot be bought, lied to or ignored, then so be it. I’ve read only recently that most social observers see the Australian electorate as very jaded with the current form of democracy, and that would be an accurate assessment. Only we can make the changes we need for our democracy to function for us, for the benefit not only of the here and now, but for the decades ahead.

Tonight is merely a warning from the electorate to the new Queensland State Parliament, whatever form it takes. That message is clearly, “don’t take us for granted, don’t tell us lies and certainly don’t fuck us about.”